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Bag snatch caught on BeyondQ CCTV

Do you know this woman? As this video shows, she walked into Curtin secondhand bookstore Beyond Q last Tuesday and brazenly stole a staff member’s handbag from its storage locker, apparently with the aid of two accomplices also visible in the footage.

RiotACT spoke today to the affected staff member, a grandmother who works at the bookstore just one day a week, and was taken aback by her kindly reaction to the miserable scenario that saw her lose a handbag and its contents including sunglasses, a wallet containing cash and cards, her mobile phone and photographs of her grandchildren.

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Talking to RiotACT while continuing to stack bookshelves, the woman admonished herself for not locking the handbag in its storage compartment, and acknowledged that Christmas can be a difficult time for many Canberrans.

“People are doing it tough at this time of year,” she said.

She was also not greatly surprised by the turn of events.

“It’s very common in retail,” she said. “They know where staff keep their bags.”

If you can identify the woman or her companions, please contact ACT Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via actcrimestoppers.com.au

I had this happen to me many years ago, (about 1986) and what a pain it was. It wasn’t the cash in my wallet, it was the various credit/debit cards, driver’s licence and I actually had a spare house key in my wallet, and I couldn’t remember what else I had in there that may have given the perp an idea of where I lived!

Fortunately, I think they were just after cash for drugs.

Eventually, I got the wallet sent back to me (minus the cards, cash, etc) … the perp obviously grabbed my wallet from my handbag under my desk, (in a Government Department) walked out and dumped the stuff they didn’t want in the nearby Jolimont toilets. A traveller saw it and posted it back to me from Wollongong.

Losing your handbag is extremely distressing …… I hope that they find the perps who stole this lady’s wallet/handbag.

If I recall correctly there was a wave of this type of theft in Civic in 1986 as you have alluded to.

Particularly in Moore Street! My first knowledge of the theft was when my phone rang and it was the CPS
Credit Union asking whether it was me who was trying to draw out $500.

The person who stole my wallet could walk for less than 5 minutes and TRY to forge my signature?

I had this happen to me many years ago, (about 1986) and what a pain it was. It wasn’t the cash in my wallet, it was the various credit/debit cards, driver’s licence and I actually had a spare house key in my wallet, and I couldn’t remember what else I had in there that may have given the perp an idea of where I lived!

Fortunately, I think they were just after cash for drugs.

Eventually, I got the wallet sent back to me (minus the cards, cash, etc) … the perp obviously grabbed my wallet from my handbag under my desk, (in a Government Department) walked out and dumped the stuff they didn’t want in the nearby Jolimont toilets. A traveller saw it and posted it back to me from Wollongong.

Losing your handbag is extremely distressing …… I hope that they find the perps who stole this lady’s wallet/handbag.

If I recall correctly there was a wave of this type of theft in Civic in 1986 as you have alluded to.

I had this happen to me many years ago, (about 1986) and what a pain it was. It wasn’t the cash in my wallet, it was the various credit/debit cards, driver’s licence and I actually had a spare house key in my wallet, and I couldn’t remember what else I had in there that may have given the perp an idea of where I lived!

Fortunately, I think they were just after cash for drugs.

Eventually, I got the wallet sent back to me (minus the cards, cash, etc) … the perp obviously grabbed my wallet from my handbag under my desk, (in a Government Department) walked out and dumped the stuff they didn’t want in the nearby Jolimont toilets. A traveller saw it and posted it back to me from Wollongong.

Losing your handbag is extremely distressing …… I hope that they find the perps who stole this lady’s wallet/handbag.